BS POLL

Vishal Sikka on Friday resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of global software major InfosysTechnology, leaving Twitterusers almost shocked.The board of the company accepted the resignation with immediate effect and appointed him as the executive vice-chairman. In the interim, Chief Operating Officer U B Pravin Rao has been appointed the CEO and MD.

In a filing to BSE, the company said, “Sikka reiterated his belief in the great potential of Infosys, but cited among his reasons for leaving a continuous stream of distractions and disruptions over the recent months and quarters, increasingly personal and negative as of late, as preventing management's ability to accelerate the Company's transformation.”

"Sikka will continue to focus on strategic initiatives, key customer the relationships and technology development. He will report to the Board," noted the statement.

Sikka has just completed three years as the chief executive of Infosys and he has been severely criticized by some shareholders over corporate governance.

Soon after the news of Sikka's resignation broke, Infosys and Vishal Sikka became top trends on Twitter. People took to the microblogging site to express their surprise and displeasure. Among top names that reacted were Mahinda & Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra and Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. Amused Twitterati also exhibited their witty sides with hilarious digs and puns.

Here’s how the news created a buzz on Twitter:

Crises are like a furnace that forges more durable steel. Infy is iconic & will always have people cheering for it. I certainly will.. https://t.co/KYsTzDNIeK